
Glass 
Book 



Cost of War and Warfare, 

OVER-SEA EXPANSION AND IMPERIALISM, 

EIGHT YEARS, TO JUNE 30, 1905, OVER 

$1531,000,000. 

* 

Fifth computation. Seven years and six months from official figures, last six months 
in 1905 based on expenditures in the first half of the fiscal year. 

Excess of expenditures on Over-Sea Expansion and Imperialism in fiscal year 

ending June 30, 1905, above the normal rate established in twenty years 

preceding the Spanish War, over 

$2 31,000,000. 

At the rate of $7.30 per person, or $36.50 per family or group of five persons. 

Deducting the customary estimate of the cost of the Spanish War, the excess of 

expenditure for Over-Sea Expansion and Imperialism in eight years 

ending June 30, 1905, will have been over 

$1231,000,000. 



TRANSCRIBED FROM OFFICIAL FIGURES AND COMPUTED BY 

PERIODS, 



EDWARD ATKINSON, LL. D., Ph. D. 

BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS, U. S. A. 
January 7, 1905. 



'A^ 



THE COST OF WAR AND WARFARE, 

OVER-SEA EXPANSION AND IMPERIALISM, 
In the Fiscal Year which wile end June 30, 1905, 

Over $231,000,000. 



Treasury estimate of population at that date by which the official per capita estimates wil 
be made up 

83,259,000. 

Actual expenditures for six months ending December 31, 1904, with $3,870,000 added fo 
probable postal deficiency, computed from the published monthly statements. 



Civil service, Indians, and postal def 

War 

Navy 

Pensions 

Interest 



ciency 



$86,680,764 
70,443,985 
62,485,888 
72,338,665 
11,950,698 

$304,000,000 



If the expenditures of the six months, December 31 to June 30, 1905, are not lessened, the 
expenditures to June 30, 1905, will be $608,000,000, at the rate, per capita, $7.30, $36.50 per 
family or group of five persons. 

Before analyzing these figures, it is fit for me to state that in the last computation which 
I made proving that the expenditures for eight years of War and Warfare, Over-sea Expansion, 
and Imperialism to June 30, 1905, will have been over 

$1500,000,000, 

I estimated the expenditures of the present fiscal year at $550,000,000, an underestimate by 
more than ten per cent, in the present aspect of the case. 

Attention may again be called to the fact that the expenditures of the present fiscal year, as 
above computed, on a gold basis will be equal to the average expenditure per year of eight 
years of the Civil War and the reconstruction, which were paid in depreciated paper money. 

In the twenty years of Peace, Order, and Industry preceding the Spanish War, under the 
administrations of Presidents Hayes, Arthur, Cleveland, Harrison, and Cleveland, the average 
expenditures were $5.00 per head, from $4.43 in Cleveland's first term to $5.36 in 
Harrison's term. 

In this period the " New Navy " was constructed, manned, and at sea when the Spanish 
War began. 



The fortifications of the coast were also begun. In this average there were non-recurrent 
expenditures for the refund of direct taxes and the like, outside customary appropriation, amount- 
ing to eight cents per head, these being deducted, making the true average cost of the 
Government, average per year 

$4.92 per head. 

If this be accepted as a normal or true standard of the cost of government economically 
administered, the subsequent comparisons of the expenditures of the present fiscal year may 
give a true basis for a Congressional investigation, item by item, which cannot be made without 
access to the books of the several departments. Some exceptions have been taken to my use 
of the per capita method of comparison, without giving a detailed statement of the items of the 
present excess of expenditures. I have merely adopted the long-established method of 
the Government of comparing annual expenditures under the several heads by per capita com- 
pilations, after having vainly attempted to make an itemized account in terms of actual expendi- 
tures from the published accounts. 

In the computations of the eight years, to June 30, 1905, the sum of $50,000,000, paid on 
the Panama purchase, is not included, but is specifically deducted. 

The comparison by periods is computed on the normal, regular, recurrent expenditures, 
omitting the non-recurrent special expenditures in each term. 

The gross postal expenditures are not included, the postal deficiency only being included. 
The figures are from data lately published, subject to slight variation on the final accounting. 

Per capita expenditures Computed expend i- 

20 years before Spanish tares fiscal year 

War to iS')7 ir 

Civil service, Indians, and postal deficiency $1.40 

War 

Xavv. including cost of "New Navy" 



to iS<)7 inclusive. 


ehding June 30. 1905 


$1.40 


$2.08 + $0.68 


•75 


1-70 + -95 


•35 


1.50 + 1.15 


$2.50 


$5.28 + $2.78 


-•4- 


2.02 - .40 



Pensions and interest 

Total $4-9 2 $7-3° + $-o s 

It will be observed that had the normal rate of the twenty years preceding the Spanish 
War of $4.92 per capita been continued, the falling in of the Civil War Pensions and the 
reduction of Interest would have reduced it by over fifty cents per head to $4. 42. Even with 
the increase of interest and the addition of Spanish War Pensions it lias been reduced forty cents 
per head. At present rates on pensions the regular cost of Government would now be less 
than $4.50 per head. It is $7.30 per head, an actual difference of $2.78 per head on a popu- 
lation computed at 

83,259,000. 

On this basis the cost to the tax-payers of this country in the present fiscal year, ending 
fune .;o, 1905, will be over 

$231,000,000. 



5 

In my last guarded estimate I stated that it would be over two hundred million dollars. 

Such is the penalty for the temporary aberration toward Over-sea Expansion and Impe- 
rialism in the effort to govern an alien people, to whom it is said to have been forbidden to 
listen to the reading of the Declaration of Independence on the last Fourth of July. 

It now remains to compare the several items of the Cost of Government as they would 
have been at the normal rate established in the twenty years preceding the Spanish War with 
the computed expenditures of the present fiscal year. 

Population, 83,259,000. 

Taxed at the Normal Rate Taxed at the Present Rate 

of S4.50 per head. of $7.30 per head. Excess of Taxation. 

$2.08 $173,561,528 $0.68 $56,998,928 

I.70 140,887,970 .95 78,443,720 

I.50 124,971,776 I. 15 95,831,126 



Civil 




$1.40 


$116,562,600 


Army 




•75 


62,444,250 


Navy 




■35 


29,140,650 




$2.50 


$208,147,500 


Pensions and 


interest, 






actual 




2.02 


168,578,726 



$5.28 $439,421,274 $2.78 $231,273,774 

2.02 168,578,726 



$4.52 $376,726,226 $7-30 $608,000,000 

Excess of expenditures fiscal year ending June 30, 1905, 

Over Two Hundred and Thirty-one 
Million Dollars. 

It will be observed that during the twelve years of President Cleveland's (first term), 
Harrison and Cleveland's (second term), during which period the "New Navy" was constructed 
and put in commission and the coast fortifications extended, the average expenditures under the 
head of "Army and Navy" averaged seventy-two million dollars ($72,000,000) per year. At 
the same rate per capita on the population of the present year the amount available would have 
been ninety-two million dollars ($92,000,000). This sum would have been ample for all 
purposes of national defence in maintaining a larger Navy than we previously had and an 
adequate force in the Army ; somewhat larger than in the former period. 

At the present rate of expenditure on the Army and Navy in the year 1905 the amount will 
be not less than two hundred and sixty-five million dollars ($265,000,000), probably more. On 
that basis the excess of expenditure in the present vear above the normal rate, ample for 
defensive purposes, will be not less than one hundred and seventy-three million dollars 
($173,000,000). The tax payers are therefore paying more than two dollars ($2) per head, 
or more than ten dollars ($10) per family or group of five persons for the support of an Army 
nominally of sixty thousand (60,000) men, of whom it is reported by the military authorities 
that about ten per cent, desert every year, and for the construction and maintenance of battle- 
ships and armored cruisers which are not required for national defence and will probably ere 
long be useless for any purpose. During the present year the turbine engine, .with propellers 
below the water line, will probably outclass any battleship now afloat in speed and efficiency. 



The improved guns and shells of greater penetrating power now coming into use and proved bv 
the Japanese, will render it impossible for any battleship to carry plates of sufficient thickness 
to resist them and remain afloat. 

The excess under the title of Civil Service, Indians, and Postal Deficiency cannot be 
analyzed from any published accounts known to me. Only an expert accountant under 
Congressional direction can separate the items spent within our own continental domain from 
those spent on our over-sea expansion. The excess of expenditures on Army and Navy speak 
for themselves. 

River and Harbor Improvements are kept for some unknown reason under the title of 
Army. The per capita expenditure in the last eight years varies but a fraction from the previous 
term. These expenditures on our own rivers and harbors have been much cut down this year 
and the last, making rather a false appearance of economy in the appropriations. 

There have been some new expenditures on irrigation, forest reserves, and the like in 
recent years which were but as yet not sufficient to vary the computation in any measure ; they 
are covered bv sales of public lands and other " miscellaneous permanent receipts." 

These facts and figures are given with as close an approximation as is possible at the 
middle of the fiscal year: they may be slightly changed as the expenditures of the second six 
months may be greater or less than those of the first half of the fiscal year, probably greater. 

In dealing with this subject I have limited myself in this treatise to the economic aspect. 

The evil and destructive influence of the warfare upon the people of the Philippine Islands 
lias been proved bv the official reports of officers of the Government and by the personal reports 
of trained observers. 

The corrupting influence of the temporary aberration toward Imperialism in the United 
States has become so manifest that he who runs may read. At the present time, when one-half 
the voters or more wish we had never undertaken the task of governing an alien people by 
force, and the other half or less are seeking to find the way to withdraw without discredit: the 
Executive feeling the way by holding out vague hopes of independence to the people of the 
Philippine Islands, it may be safely assumed that the day is not distant when all will discover 
that they are capable of establishing their own institutions. The work of the Anti-imperialists 
iikiv therefore soon be ended by the establishment of the principle for which they have contended. 

Respectfully submitted, 

EDWARD ATKINSON, LL. D.,Ph.D. 

BROOKLINE, Mass., U. S. A., January 7, 1905. 



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013 744 682 



Hollinger Corp. 
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